Maryland’s incoming governor, Republican Larry Hogan, will take office in less than two weeks. He’s named several cabinet secretaries, but not a budget secretary, and he’s due to present his budget plan to the General Assembly just two days after he’s sworn in as governor on January 21. Hogan's campaign platform centered on cutting taxes, which he says are driving people and businesses out of the state. Hogan has indicated that state agencies and Baltimore city should brace for a change. At a press conference in mid-December, criticizing the budget performance of the O’Malley administration he said, "They drained our checking and savings and retirement accounts. They maxed out every credit card. They tapped into the Christmas fund, the college tuition funds; they even broke into every one of the kids' piggy banks. And we still don’t have enough to pay the bills." How will a Republican governor work with a Democratic legislature to balance the budget?
We speak with Roy Meyers, Professor of Political Science and Affiliate Professor of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, who has looked at Congressional, State and Federal budget transparency. Bryan Sears, government reporter for The Daily Record, who has been following Hogan’s transition into the Governor’s office joins us on the phone.
